Stories written by

Julian Novitz, The Conversation

Ambition, corruption, guerrilla gardening: Eleanor Catton’s ‘Birnam Wood’ is our horror story

Set in 2017, the book follows the intriguing activities of a gardening collective in New Zealand that plants crops where no one will notice.

Julian Novitz, The Conversation
· Mar 11, 2023 · 05:30 pm
Ghoulishness, depravity and stupidity: welcome to the world of Ottessa Moshfegh’s ‘Lapvona’

Set in a medieval Eastern European fiefdom and narrated from a distant third-person perspective, Lapvona has the tone of a ghoulish fairytale.

Julian Novitz, The Conversation
· Sep 05, 2022 · 05:30 pm
Here comes pandemic fiction: murder, disease , life after death in Steve Toltz’s ‘Here Goes Nothing’

The novel is narrated by the recently deceased Angus Mooney, a reformed petty criminal and ardent atheist.

Julian Novitz, The Conversation
· May 07, 2022 · 05:30 pm

Does Salman Rushdie’s decision to publish on Substack signal a threat to book publishing?

Will traditional publishers feel the pressure of a high-profile move like Rushdie’s?

Julian Novitz, The Conversation
· Sep 19, 2021 · 05:30 pm